Item Description
Original Item: One-of-a-kind. On July 19th, 1944, the B-17G #42-102937 "Ready Freddie" 8th Air Force, 95th Bombardment Group, 412th Bomb Squadron was involved in a terrible tragedy at Duxford airfield in England. This is a portion of a damaged Propeller Blade recovered from the crash site. We have no documentation verifying this but it is what were told when purchasing it from a collector. For certain it is a WWII manufactured B-17 Propeller Blade, with correct markings and features. It measures approximately 36" long by 10" wide at the widest point. Also included with the purchase are printed copies of original documents and multiple photographs from the crash site taken on July 19th, 1944.
On July 19th, 1944, the 78th had destroyed 20 planes on the ground for their largest strafing bag to date, and as usual after a big day, nearly everyone on the base was feeling pretty good. But Before the crewmen could get the Thunderbolts bedded down for the night, tragedy struck in the form of a visiting Fortress. The B-17, carrying a Pilot, Co-Pilot and two crewmen plus two pilots and and eight enlisted men from Duxford, buzzed the control tower and pulled up over the hanger. The neon blinker light atop the hanger, however, sheared off most of the left wing and the left horizontal stabilizer. The crippled bomber rolled over, barely missing wrecking the officers barracks and tore up the main barracks of the 83rd Fighter Squadron and part of the main 82nd Barracks. All those in the bomber and one man in the 83rd barracks were killed in the crash and resulting explosion of fire. Two others were injured.
Chaplin (Captain) William J Zink made two unsuccessful attempts to rescue the man in the barracks. At first unable to reach him because of fumes and smoke, Chaplin Zink dashed out, grabbed a gas mask and helmet and re-entered the building. Falling beams and fire stopped him that time. Then he gave last rites for the victims and helped medical personnel extricate bodies from the wreckage of the bomber. He was presented the Soldiers Medal for his actions that day, becoming the first Eight Air Force Chaplin to win that award.
Most of the 83rd building was gutted by flames. Lesser damage was caused by pieces which hit the officer's barracks and the 82nd barracks. After the crash, squadrons held formations and checked rolls carefully for men missing in the accident. If the crash had occurred 30 minutes or an hour later, officers said, the toll of men in the barracks would have been considerably higher because by then the crewmen would have been in off the line.
B-17 Crew Members (all killed)
Lt. James D Sasser - Pilot
Lt. Victor L. Mintz - Co-pilot
T/Sgt. James A. Heil Sr. - Radio Officer
T/Sgt. Francis J. Bradburn - Engineer
78th Fighter Group members killed in the B-17
Lt. Martin H. Smith Jr. 84th Fighter Squadron
Lt. John B. Putman Jr. 84th Fighter Squadron
S/Sgt. Donald M. French 84th Service Squadron
Sgt. Ellsworth J Seesz 23rd Station Complement Squadron
Cpl. John F. Hamilton 23rd Station Complement Squadron
T/5 John D. Gorman 1671st Ordnance Supply Company
PFC. Anthony C. Loguidice 84th Service Squadron
Pvt. Frank L Wojcicki 23rd Station Complement Squadron
Pvt. Wilbur K. Edwards 84th Service Squadron
Killed in the 83rd Barracks
Sgt. Ernest Taylor 83rd Fighter Squadron
Injured on the ground
Cpl Oscar N. Severson 83rd Fighter Squadron
Cpl Raymond F. Roberson 83rd Fighter Squadron
On July 28, 1935, a four-engine plane took off from Boeing Field in south Seattle on its first flight. Rolling out of the Boeing hangar, it was simply known as the Model 299. Seattle Times reporter Richard Smith dubbed the new plane, with its many machine-gun mounts, the Flying Fortress, a name that Boeing quickly adopted and trademarked. The U.S. Army Air Corps designated the plane as the B-17.
In response to the Army’s request for a large, multiengine bomber, the prototype, financed entirely by Boeing, went from design board to flight test in less than 12 months.
The B-17 was a low-wing monoplane that combined aerodynamic features of the XB-15 giant bomber, still in the design stage, and the Model 247 transport. The B-17 was the first Boeing military aircraft with a flight deck instead of an open cockpit and was armed with bombs and five .30-caliber machine guns mounted in clear blisters.
The first B-17s saw combat in 1941, when the British Royal Air Force took delivery of several B-17s for high-altitude missions. As World War II intensified, the bombers needed additional armament and armor.
The B-17E, the first mass-produced model Flying Fortress, carried nine machine guns and a 4,000-pound bomb load. It was several tons heavier than the prototypes and bristled with armament. It was the first Boeing airplane with the distinctive and enormous tail for improved control and stability during high-altitude bombing. Each version was more heavily armed.
In the Pacific, the planes earned a deadly reputation with the Japanese, who dubbed them four-engine fighters. The Fortresses were also legendary for their ability to stay in the air after taking brutal poundings.
Seventy-five years after the B-17’s first flight, an 88 year-old veteran sent The Boeing Company a letter. After explaining how he returned to England after a bombing raid over Germany with 179 flak holes and only two out of the four engines, he wrote: I’m glad to be alive. Thank you for making such a good airplane.
Gen. Carl Spaatz, the American air commander in Europe, said, Without the B-17 we may have lost the war.
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